About My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
Hailing from Chicago's renowned Wax Trax! Records stable of arCsts, MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT have been conjuring up sonic tales of sex, blasphemy and kitschy horror since 1987. The band was instrumental in developing the industrial dance music genre, yet have conCnued to expand their style, creaCng one of the most diverse repertoires in modern music. Electronic rock, heavily in?uenced by both disco and funk can best describe their sound, while spoken-word samples liRed from B-movies gives the band their signature mark. They have released 14 studio albums, a slew of remix compilaCons, and have contributed to a variety of soundtracks and ?lm scores,
including a cameo performance in the 1994 cult movie classic The Crow.
ArCst Franke Nardiello and musician Marston Daley, two Chicago neighbors who enjoyed late night binges watching trashy exploitaCon ?lms and horror ?icks, wanted to make their own movie to be called "My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult". While the project never came to fruiCon, they wrote some music to be the accompanying soundtrack. Both worked at the Wax Trax record store, and when label founders Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher heard the songs, they were intrigued. Using the ?lm Ctle as the name of the band, they released a 3-song EP in early 1988. The response was overwhelming, and it was clear fans wanted to hear more.
Taking the stage names Groovie Mann (Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (Daley), the duo began to focus on music full Cme. They created an occult meets leather biker image to compliment the band's name which included enlisCng a bevy of voluptuous back-up singers/dancers known as the BOMB GANG GIRLZ. The New York Times wrote, "Sex, blasphemy, big beats and go-go dancing; they're all in a day's work for My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult". This agracted the agenCon of indie fans, as well as the ire of the PMRC and conservaCve religious groups in pracCcally equal measure. By the Cme of their sophomore release, Confessions Of A Knife (1990), they were far and away one of the biggest selling acts on the label.
1991 saw the release of their third album Sexplosion!, a calculated sonic and visual departure from their previous work. 1950's pin-up models replaced the demonic imagery, while sleazy stripper horns, disco beats and house diva vocals (provided by arCst Shawn Christopher) took prominence over the more abrasive musical elements. They put together a provocaCve stage show, complete with spinning police lights, mirror balls and a stocked bar with bartender to serve the scanCly clad musicians and dancers while they performed. AlternaCve Press reviewed the show as "Sin-saConal!", while Melody Maker described it as "A Cabaret from Hell". It was a huge success, and the album sold so well (fueled by the phenomenal radio hit "Sex On Wheelz") that the group signed a deal with Interscope Records.
Hollywood also embraced the KULT, recognizing the unique cinemaCc aspect in their sound. Most notably they scored music for animator Ralph Bakshi's Cool World (1992) and director Paul Verhoven's saucy Showgirls (1993), while comedic ?lms such as Baseketball and The Flintstones Movie prominently featured songs from their album Hit & Run Holiday.
The band moved to Rykodisc in 1997 and re-released their enCre remastered / repackaged catalog, along with ?ve more studio albums, including an homage to 70's disco era called Gay Black & Married, and the sultry and decadent Filthiest Show In Town 2007). They also formed their own label SleazeBox Records in 2001, enabling the release of a growing number of side-projects in addiCon to new TKK material.
Buzz and Groovie sCll record and perform live along with veteran band mates Mimi Star (bass) and JusCn Thyme (drums), all the while maintaining a de?ant spirit that refuses to be con?ned by musical norms. They've in?uenced countless arCsts in electronic, industrial, and dance music scenes, creaCng a reputaCon for themselves as one of the most notorious and controversial cult bands of their generaCon.
- Facebook:
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- YouTube:
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